Is Barking and Dagenham really the worst place to live in the UK?

Last week, nine boroughs in London made a top ten list of the worst places to live in the UK - with Barking and Dagenham, on the eastern outskirts, taking the top spot.

The results were taken from a damning survey of residents’ satisfaction covering 130 places. Participants of the poll were asked to consider 12 aspects about where they lived: decor, space, contentment, value, community, area upkeep, pride, costs, safety, amenities, recreation, and neighbourliness.

Barking and Dagenham came bottom in categories including community, area upkeep, safety, amenity and neighbourliness, and the survey comes after research published earlier this year showed that Dagenham is the UK’s most burgled town.

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But the area’s local council, keen to show that life in the East End isn’t as unpleasant as the survey would suggest, have put together a YouTube video to illustrate community spirit in the borough.

The video, titled #boroughhappy, shows a snapshot of local life - filmed at a one of the community’s biggest events yet and includes a visit from the Queen.

Keen to voice their opinions, one elderly resident says, “I like the parks more than anything”, while another Barking and Dagenham-dweller comments, “It’s a good place to live in. It’s not like what it used to be 20 years ago.”

Watch the video below and decide whether you think Barking and Dagenham really is the worst place to live in the UK:

As well as the YouTube video, Barking and Dagenham Council leader has bit back at Right Move’s Happy at Home Index, labelling it ‘ridiculous’.

“I know it’s the silly season but Right Move is simply wrong. Of the ten so-called ‘unhappiest’ places to live, nine are London boroughs while the top ten are some of the most affluent places in the country.”

Rodwell continued: “What this East End London borough lacks in wealth it makes up for in community spirit. We have just had tens of thousands of people coming to a series of events celebrating 50 years of our borough.

“Of course there are challenges in Barking and Dagenham like there is anywhere else in the country but I know we have the drive and ambition to make this borough a better place to live for everyone.”